Bearing the Shame

Something shifted in our society during my lifetime.  I don’t know exactly how it happened.  I don’t know when the shift started, but I know it was as if a switch suddenly was thrown and many things that were once not considered acceptable became acceptable.  Things that were once taboo were now mainstream.  This shift has left many scratching their heads in bewilderment.

I remember my senior year in high school.  I lived in a small community surrounded by farms and ranches.  The only time it looked like it had snowed was during cotton harvesting season when the sides of the road were littered with errant strands of cotton that had escaped their modules while being transported to the gin; or those that had escaped the metal fingers on the cotton strippers.  Wide open spaces dominated along with the boredom that accompanies a rural, agricultural society.  The fact that kids snuck out and away from parents to engage in underage drinking was nothing new.  Neither was it new that kids would have romantic rendezvous.  These things have always been taking place as far as I can tell.  But, having four, five, or even six high school girls under the age of 18 walking around school pregnant–now that was unheard of.

And they literally had no shame.

None what-so-ever.

They wore their pregnancy as a badge of sorts, and if anyone raised any sort of moral objection, they were met with fierce attack.  “You can’t judge me!” they would scream.  Teen pregnancy had somehow become acceptable.

Perhaps the changes that began in the 1960's finally began reach a tipping point around this time.  For I remember the “Jerry Springer Show.”  How many of you are actually going to admit that you remember that show as well?  Remember how Jerry captivated his audiences by bringing in the most outrageous things that he could?  Remember how there would be questions during the show that said something like, “Did your uncle sleep with your girlfriend and your sister at the same time?  We want to have you on our show.”  Suddenly, aberrations like this went mainstream.  The non-acceptable was made acceptable because of the lure of money and 15 minutes on national television.  And when people actually showed up on this show–and had their fights, they were defiant as all get out.  They had a “you can’t judge me attitude.”  They had absolutely no shame.  None.  Nada.  And millions of people saw this.  They saw such behavior rewarded.  And it hasn’t stopped.

Even the porn industry isn’t shoved underground into seedy theaters and specialized places.  If you have access to a computer and the internet, this stuff is literally a few clicks away.  Even Playboy magazine has stopped having nude women in it.  Why?  There is no need for such a magazine.  People flaunt their naked bodies on the internet with reckless abandon.  And you know what is scary?  Do you know what is even worse?  So do teens under the age of 18.  Of course, they don’t post such photos on the internet because of legalities, but millions of kids with cell phones are snapping naked pictures of themselves and sending them to friends without any shame at all.  They don’t care.  And, for the most part, society turns a blind eye.  Society shouts from the roof tops, “Express yourself, and don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.  You have nothing to be ashamed of!!!”

Contrast this with what is happening in our lessons from this evening.  Each of these lessons, as different as they are, set forth a very real reality for both Mary and Joseph.  Both of these lessons, when seen in their societal context shout loudly and clearly that sometimes, when you follow the will of God, you will face shame and ridicule.

Luke shows us that following in the footsteps of God’s plan is no guarantee for the removal of shame.  In fact, in the case of Mary and Joseph, the acceptance of God’s will for their lives means a lifetime of shame heaped upon them by the rest of society.  How so? Let’s look at these two texts before us.  Don’t worry, I am not going to go through them with a great deal of detail because that would take far too long, but I am going to look at them to point out the common thread running through them.

First, please take note of the Lucan text where the angel Gabriel visits Mary.  Gabriel approaches Mary and says, “Greetings favored one!”  Technically, the word favored one should be translated a little differently.  It should be translated “graced” one.  This is why Roman Catholics say in the Rosary, “Hail Mary, full of grace!”  This mirrors exactly what Gabriel says to Mary here, and it is important.  The word carries the connotation of having received a special favor from a benefactor.  In this instance, that benefactor is God, the Lord, as Gabriel says.

Mary is in awe of these words. She is a peasant girl, probably in her teens.  She carries no special significance.  She has no special standing in the community.  She is not well known.  Yet, the angel says she has found special favor with the Lord.  Is it any wonder she is much perplexed and tries to think this through?  How in the world has she found favor with the Most High God?

Gabriel then lays it all out: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’  This is a highly significant statement and it deserves much explanation; however, we do not have time for a thorough break down tonight.  Let the words stand as they are said, plainly.

Mary responds again with a question, “How can this be since I am a virgin?”  Unlike her cousin Zechariah, this is not a question of doubt.  Zechariah said, “How will I know...?  Mary asked, “How can this be...?” the nature of the question is very different.  Mary is not doubting.  She wants to understand.

Gabriel continues, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Now, before we get to Mary’s final words, let me talk about the implications here.  Let me remind you that Mary was betrothed.  She was promised to be married, but she was not married yet.  If indeed she were to become pregnant, everyone around would think some very unholy thoughts about her.  Contrary to some who say that in this time people didn’t have all the understanding of how babies are conceived; folks knew exactly how it happened.  They didn’t understand about X and Y chromosomes, but they knew that sexual intercourse produced babies.  And they knew if you got pregnant outside of wedlock, you were engaging in something you weren’t supposed to be doing.  Unlike what happened during my final years of high school, shame was not only given, but it was felt: deeply and hurtfully.  The angel Gabriel has announced something great and wonderful, but it came with a cost: deep and utter shame.

And Mary says, “Let it be with me according to your word.”  She accepts this burden of shame.

Similarly, Joseph accepts the burden as well.  Whereas Luke tells us the story through Mary’s eyes.  Matthew tells us the story through Joseph’s eyes.  Joseph is also visited by an angel in his dreams.  But before that dream, Joseph knew that his betrothed had become pregnant.  He didn’t know the child was of the Holy Spirit because of what he had intended to do.  Joseph, being a righteous man, but also a compassionate man, was going to dismiss Mary and save her from shame.  He could have had her stoned–God’s Law afforded him that right.  But he didn’t want to have her killed.  He would send her away privately, and very few would be any the wiser.

However, the angel appeared to Joseph and rendered his plans worthless.    ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’

Again, this saying deserves much consideration, but again, because of time this morning, we will allow it to stand as plain as possible.  Therefore, let us also consider the consequences for Joseph if he were to follow this advice: Joseph too would have been put to shame.  For he would be marrying a woman who was unclean; unfaithful; a sinner.  Folks would whisper behind his back, “Does he know what kind of woman he is marrying?  Doesn’t he understand that she is sinful?  Doesn’t he know that God frowns upon such things?”  The gossip would fly through the village, and people would have long, long memories.  Shame would be a daily part of Joseph’s life.

And he accepts it.  He accepts the will of God even though it will cost him dearly.

Mary and Joseph will pay the price for doing God’s will.  They will be looked down upon. They will be whispered about.  They will lose honor and status in their community.  They will be shamed.  Society will reject them, and this is but a foretaste of what will happen to their Son.

For in Jesus we will see utter shame and rejection at its worst.  In Jesus, we will see a man–a man who is also God–rejected by the crowds.  He will be accused of blasphemy.  He will be accused of being a false Messiah.  He will be beaten, mocked, spat upon, and hung naked on a cross.  The public shame and rejection by man is intended to discredit Him and prove Him a phony–a liar.  But even this is small potatoes compared to the ultimate rejection Jesus faces on the cross.

For you see, not only is Jesus rejected by man, He is also rejected by God.  You may scratch your head in wonder at that statement, but let me assure you, it is true.  Because Jesus became the punishment for all sin.  Jesus became the sacrifice of atonement to pay for all sin ever committed.  Jesus bore the weight of that sin upon Himself even though He did not have to.  He lived the perfect life and did not deserve what He received.  So why did He receive it?  Why did He have to die?  Why did He cry out in forsakenness from the cross?

He did it because He could not bear the thought of losing us.  He did it because He couldn’t bear the thought of His creation spending eternity apart from its creator.  He did it to change our hearts away from our selfish; self-centered living and capture them with the love of God who is willing to die for us.  He did it because He loves us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  Jesus endured shame and rejection to bring you close to God.

And isn’t it funny that in our culture today; if you stand up for the values of the sanctity of marriage, for sexual relations to be saved for marriage, for loving people who are vastly different than yourself, for daring to proclaim the exclusivity of Jesus, for daring to believe in Absolute Truth and that this Truth has been revealed in Jesus, then you are the one who is shamed?  It is small wonder though.  Just as following God’s will brought Mary shame, and Joseph shame, and Jesus ultimate shame; we should not be surprised if we are shamed as well.  May we have the courage to be shamed.  Amen.

Denial is not Simply a River in Egypt

 I love where my kids are at right now.  They are truly fun.  They are right in that middle zone where they are out of diapers, potty trained, and independent enough to dress themselves and get their own breakfasts.  Yet, they are not quite at puberty, arguably the most trying time for kids and parents.  They are right in the middle, and I am enjoying it while it lasts.

 How enjoyable is it?  In the past month or so, both of my daughters have come up to me separately and said, “You are the best dad in the world.”  It really is a heart-melting moment.  But, do you know what I have done every time?  Folks may question my sanity and parenting style because of what I am going to say next, but I’m going to see how this plays out in the long run.  Each time my girls have said, “You are the best dad in the world,” I have replied, “Thank you sweetie.  I appreciate this and I am going to remember this because in about two or three years, you are probably going to think that I am the dumbest person in the world.”

 Every time I’ve said this, my girls look at me and say, “Daddy!  Why would you say that?”

 I respond, “Because in a few years, you are going to be a teenager, and most teenagers think their parents are dumb and don’t understand anything.”

 My girls have both said, at this point, “Daddy, I don’t ever want to say or think that.”

 I reply, “I hope not either.”  I have hope, but I’m not optimistic.  I remember my own teenage years all to well.  I’ve been around more than a few teenagers since then.  The odds are not in my favor.  Human nature is too powerful.  So I confronted my daughters with this prophecy.  They weren’t happy with it.

 You may wonder why I share this with you.  I share it because I think it is related to the events taking place in our Gospel lesson this morning as we progress through the 14th chapter of the book of Mark. 

 This text follows immediately after the institution of the Lord’s Supper, and as Jesus and his disciples depart the upper room, they do so by singing the hymn.  Now, if this is a Passover meal and they are following the oldest known sequence of this meal, then they were singing what is called the Hallel Psalms.  This would have ended with Psalm 118.  It is an intriguing thought to think that as Jesus left this final meal with his disciples, He would have had these words on his lips:

 The Lord is my strength and song; he has become my salvation.  Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!  The Lord’s right hand has lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”  I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done. 

 Think about that with the knowledge that Jesus is now entering into the final hours of leading up to his arrest and crucifixion.  “I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done.”  Ironic.  Tragic?  Definitely hopeful.

 When everyone reaches the Mount of Olives, Jesus turns to his disciples and says, “You will all become skandalizein.”  Skandalizein is the Greek word that is translated will fall away, be offended, be made to stumble.  Mark Edwards writes in his commentary, “Skandalizein...does not mean that the disciples will willfully defect but that external factors will act upon them and cause them to do so...We do not plan on sinning, but neither do we hold the fort when we ought.”  This is an important point–one that we will come back to in a little while.  But first, we must consider this text more deeply, for Jesus backs up his words by citing Zechariah chapter 13.  “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”

 Let me read to you this quote in context from the Old Testament so that you might get more of an idea of what is going on.  Zechariah 13:7-9, 7“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate,” says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. 8In the whole land, says the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive. 9And I will put this third into the fire, refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “They are my people”; and they will say, “The Lord is our God.”

 Now, let me point out that in this Old Testament passage, it is God Himself who is striking the shepherd.  It is God who is taking this action so that He may purify and refine His people.  It is necessary for the shepherd to be struck down.  Now, the historical situations of Zechariah and Jesus are not the same.  They are not the same at all.  So, Jesus is taking this passage and redefining it to help us, and the disciples understand.  Unfortunately, they will not understand at this point.  Not in the least.  They will not understand until after the cross and resurrection.  For the moment, they are flabbergasted that Jesus would suggest that God would strike Him and that they would scatter.

 Before we get to the disciples’ reaction, let me point out to you a little snippet that even the disciples missed.  They were reeling from what Jesus said, and I am quite convinced they missed hearing Jesus say, “28But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”  The disciples did not hear this and did not understand this because the notion of an individual resurrection had no thought in their minds.  Nowhere in Jewish literature or thought was there the idea of a resurrected Messiah.  They didn’t understand this.  They didn’t grasp this.  It was foreign, so they focused on what they did know: Jesus said they would all desert him; be scandalized by him; abandon him and be scattered.

 Jesus confronted them, and they didn’t like it.  Peter, being Peter is the first to speak up.  Peter, with his bravado and self-confidence and self-assurance stands against this prophecy.  Peter, the fisherman who had spent hours hauling in nets full of fish, steering boats, who probably had well defined biceps and six-pack abs.  Peter who believes he is tough enough to do anything.  “Lord, even if everyone else deserts you, I will not.”  Peter doesn’t exactly have a high view of his friends, does he?  Peter obviously thinks he’s better than the rest of the disciples here, doesn’t he?  Peter doesn’t like what Jesus said, and so he denies that he will abandon Jesus.

 But Jesus has none of it.  Jesus knows human nature too well.  Jesus knows what he will face.  Jesus knows what Peter will face.  Jesus knows the deep down fear and anxiety.  “Truly I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

 “31But he said vehemently, ‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And all of them said the same.”  All of them said the same.  Brash.  Unflinching.  Self-confident and self-assured.  Arrogant.  Remember last week when I said that betraying a friend after eating a meal with them was considered the worst kind of treachery in the Middle East?  Jesus has essentially said that all of the disciples would do this.  Judas would be the betrayer, but all would fall away.  No one wanted to take part in such treachery.  No one wanted to fall away.  All wanted to stand.  All asserted that they would stand.  Confident in their strength, they wrote checks with their words that they would not be able to cover.  They sought to justify themselves before Jesus

 And how we love to do the same thing.  How we love to justify ourselves and revel in our own strength and self-confidence and self-assurance.  How we love to pat ourselves on the backs and tell ourselves that we are strong enough to stick by our choices.  How we vehemently promise to God, to our friends and family, and to ourselves that we will do things differently; be better; do more.

 • I can quit drinking anytime I want.
 • I won’t get angry with you anymore.
 • I won’t go to those websites anymore.
 • I will eat healthier.
 • I will exercise regularly.
 • I will go to church more often.
 • I will give more to charity.
 • I will spend more time with my kids.
 • I am in charge of my life, and I will do better.

 And it all sounds good until you don’t.  Until you fall right back into the same habits; same routines; same behaviors.  And when we are confronted?  When someone points out that our words do not match up with what we are doing?  What do we do?  Let me tell you what I do.  I am the king of excuses.  I am very good at blame displacement.  I can give you a million reasons why the circumstances around me have led me to say what I say and do what I do.  In the famous words of the German theologian, pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I am all too ready to “justify my sin instead of proclaim the justification of the sinner.”

 But Jesus doesn’t let us get away with that.  Jesus knows us too well.  He will confront us in our sin.  He will confront us with how he knows we will act.  Because He knows the end results.  We will see those results in due time.  We will see Peter’s denial.  We will hear the rooster crow.  We will see the disciples flee.  We will even hear about how one of them was caught by his clothes and wiggling free ran away naked and ashamed.

 And if we ever run into the real Jesus, we will find ourselves standing in front of Him naked and ashamed as well.  We will stand before Him and know that we have missed the mark.  We will deeply know our hypocrisy.  We will know how our self-confidence and arrogance led us to say things we should not have said and do things we should not have done.  We will know how we were never better than others despite a desperate want to be so.  We will know shame even though we have spent more than our fair share of time trying to avoid feeling shameful.  We will know how we turned our backs on Jesus and we will know that the right thing for Him to do is turn his back on us. 

 But, at that moment, when we know that He should turn His back upon us, we realize the significance of those words from Zechariah 13.  “I will strike the shepherd...”  The shepherd will be struck down.  The Good Shepherd will be struck down as He lays His life down for the sheep.  Jesus, the Good Shepherd will be struck down as He lays down His life for His disciples–for you.  For when you stand before Jesus, you will know beyond a doubt that you are not worthy to be in His presence.  You will know you are not worthy to be in God’s presence.  You are unholy.  You are broken, battered, torn.  You deserve the wrath of God–to have God turn His back upon you.  But the Good Shepherd intercedes.  He takes upon Himself your sin, your guilt, your shame.  He faces God’s anger and wrath in your place.  He has God turn God’s back against Him. 

 Standing in Jesus’ presence naked and ashamed waiting for Him to turn His back on us, He stretches out His arms and dies for us–in our place, pouring His life out for us in an act of wondrous love.  He clothes us with new garments of dazzling white as He says, “You are forgiven.  I have paid the price for your self-assurance; your self-confidence; your arrogance.  I have covered in action what you could not do yourself.  I lay down my life for you because I love you.”

 This is the Good News.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.”  God did not send Jesus to condemn you, but to save you.  And He will go before us to gather us together once again.  The sheep that are scattered will be drawn back to the Good Shepherd, and they will be vastly different. 

  At the end of the book of Mark, after the resurrection.  The same young man who ran away naked and ashamed is found in the tomb.  He is found fully clothed in a garment of pure white.  He unashamedly pronounces that Jesus has been raised from the dead.  This young man has been transformed by what Jesus has accomplished for him.  And this transformation happened to the rest of the disciples as well.  When they came in contact with the risen Lord, it changed them greatly.  Whereas they once deserted Jesus and ran from persecution, as they proclaimed the good news of His death, they later embraced persecution and even death.  They refused to run any longer.  Death, fear, anxiety no longer had power over them.  How is it that they were able to overcome these things which oftentimes still have power over us?  They didn’t trust in themselves to stand up to these things.  They didn’t trust in their own power and understanding.  They trusted in Jesus.  They trusted in what Jesus had done. They trusted in His love; in His mercy; in His grace.  They knew if they tried to have confidence in themselves, they would fail once again.  And so, they trusted in Jesus.  Their hearts rested in Jesus and His work.  And here is further good news for you and me.

 It happened to the disciples, and it can happen to us.  We too can know that type of transformation.  We too can face the challenges of life with much less fear and anxiety and worry.  But we have to stand being confronted by Jesus.  We have to stand knowing that we are broken.  We have to stand before Him and know that we have fallen short of His expectations.  We must know our weakness and failure, but we must also know Jesus’ deep love.  We must also know how much this God incarnate was willing to go through to show us how much we are loved and cherished.  You see, if you know you have failed but you also know you are deeply loved, your heart and life changes.  Arrogance, self-assuredness, self-confidence, and brashness are replaced by deep humility.  Fear, anxiety, and worry, are replaced by hope and trust that Jesus will see you through.  You brag less; love more; rest your confidence in Jesus instead of yourself; and seek as many opportunities as possible to worship the one who laid down His life for you.  When you realize the Good Shepherd was struck down for you and that He now seeks to gather you in, your life and heart is changed.  Rest in His grace, love, and mercy.  Amen.

Oh That You Would Tear Open the Heavens 2

    Right before Christmas, I preached a sermon with the exact same title as this morning’s sermon.  The sermon was based on Isaiah 64:1-9, and I will read a snippet of that to you once again, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence—2 as when fire kindles brushwood    and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!  3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.  4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.”

    There is a longing in this verse for God to reveal Himself to us.  There is a longing for God to come and make things right–to convince those who do not believe–to convert those who scoff and commit injustice–to affirm those who have faith in Him.  It’s a deeply moving cry on behalf of the believer.

    Christians believe that God indeed tore open the heavens and came down in Jesus, and today’s Gospel lesson from the book of Mark shows this rather starkly at Jesus’ baptism.  Please look at it once again beginning in verse 9, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’”

    “Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down...”

    “He saw the heavens torn apart, and the Spirit descending like a dove on Him.”

    Do you see the connection being made here?

    It’s an important one.  A very important one.  One that grows in importance as we wrestle with the reality of life and the reality of our relationships with each other.  You may wonder how, but let me press onward.

    Today, there will be many who will focus their attention on that last sentence uttered by God to Jesus.  It will be changed in many congregations as pastors and priests tell congregation members, “You are God’s children, beloved by Him, with you He is well pleased.”  And to an extent, these pastors and priests will be right.  I mean, I have proclaimed this to you in my years here as your pastor.  I have said this very thing to you, but I didn’t flesh it out completely.  I didn’t proclaim this in its fullness.

    What do I mean by that?

    Well, let me ask you these questions: what would you be like if no one ever criticized you?  What would you be like if all you heard throughout your life is that you were okay just the way you were?  What would you be like if no one ever pointed out your wrongs and tried to steer you in a different direction?  What would you be like if all you ever heard were positive comments?  What sort of person would you be?

    How many of you remember Hakeem Olajuwan?  If you were a Houston Rockets basketball fan back in the 90's you remember him.  He was a fantastic player–a dominant center who led the Rockets to back to back championships.  He was originally from Nigeria, and his parents hadn’t seen him play in a game.  I remember hearing a sports cast one night talk about how Hakeem had sent his parents many highlight videos.  Of course, you know what is in a highlight video–all the good stuff.  None of the bad.  When Olajuwon’s parents finally saw him play a game, they were shocked that he didn’t make every basket.  On the videos, he never missed!  Perfection was an illusion brought about by selective editing.

    The same thing tends to happen with people who never deal with criticism; who are constantly told they are special; who never have to deal with adversity or failure.  They get big headed and think they are über-special.  And what usually happens to this person’s character?  How do they usually act toward other people? 

    Well, you know as well as I do, they tend to become very self-centered and arrogant.  They tend to think they are always in the right, and they have very little regard for anyone else’s thought or stance.  They tend to be uncompromising and have little or no compassion for anyone else.  If someone is always told they are special, great, awesome, or what have you, without any corrective, they end up in a very dangerous place.

    And yet, on the other hand, what happens to someone who never is affirmed?  What happens to someone who is always criticized; who can never seem to get a positive thing said about what they say or do?  What happens to someone who constantly runs into negative comments and actions over and over and over again?

    Well, these folks generally become depressed and down trodden.  They feel worthless and believe they have no ability to contribute to the world around them.  They feel no sense of self-worth or achievement.  They are totally ashamed of who they are and what they have done.

    Now, most of us at this point would say that there needs to be a balance here.  There needs to be just the right amount of criticism and just the right amount of praise to turn out well adjusted people.  I would tend to agree, but is that what actually happens?  If you look at the cultures of the world, does this actually get played out?

    No.  It does not.  Cultures and societies tend to practice an either/or kind of discipline.  Either they work diligently to build up a person’s ego and raise their self esteem, or they tend to shame them and make them feel worthless.  We particularly see this in our educational system.  Many, many years ago, there was more the shame approach.  If someone wasn’t doing well, they were shamed and made to feel bad about themselves.  Now, the opposite is the truth.  If someone isn’t doing well, we try to affirm them and make them feel better about themselves thinking if they felt better about themselves, they would do better.  The pendulum has swung.  And it will keep swinging.

    The question is: can anything stop the pendulum?  Can we arrive at a happy medium where there is the balance of discipline and affirmation?

    “Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down...”

    “And He saw the heavens torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.”

    These things might not seem to address the issue too much until you keep following the rabbit hole.  For, there is one more scene we need to see.  There is one more tearing we need to hear about.  You see, Mark, in his Gospel, uses a very particular Greek word to talk about the heavens being torn open.  It’s the word schizein.  I know.  I know.  You didn’t come here this morning to get a lesson in ancient Greek, but bear with me a moment.  Mark uses this word only twice in his Gospel, and I believe he is very, very intentional.  Here is the rest of the story, from Mark chapter 15:

    33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ 35When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ 36And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ 37Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38And the curtain of the temple was torn (schizein) in two, from top to bottom. 39Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’

    The heavens are torn in two at Jesus’ baptism.  The temple curtain is torn in two at Jesus’ crucifixion.  Mark links these two events purposefully to show that they go together.  Why do they go together?

    Because of why Jesus had to die.  Jesus died because we were not perfect.  Jesus died because we were self centered.  Jesus died because the world was broken.  Jesus died because we were broken–and still are broken.  We don’t like thinking about such matters today because we like to think we are okay.  We like to think the one’s with the problem are those out there.  That crime and stuff is out there in the cities.  Yet, in our own community, Austin Berger was shot and killed.  Those people out there get up in arms and angry about people getting hurt and killed.  Well, people here have it happen too.  Well, it’s just those people who are getting angry and upset, I’m not.  But have you ever?   Of course you have.  If each and every one of us delves deeply enough, we will all have to face our own imperfections.  We will have to face our own brokenness.  We will have to face our own mortality.  We cannot hold our heads too high despite those who want to tell us that we are fine just the way we are.  Jesus had to die because of us–because of our broken, self-centered nature.  We killed Jesus. It’s enough to depress you. 

    But we do not hold our heads down in a permanent state of depression.  We do not focus completely on our brokenness because Jesus died for us so that we might become God’s beloved children.  Jesus died so that we may know how much God really and truly loves us.  Jesus died so that we are not overtaken by our brokenness and separated from our creator for eternity.  You can’t hold your head down in shame forever when you know that God went to these sorts of lengths for you.  You cannot wallow in misery when you know you were important enough for Jesus to die for you.  You are God’s beloved child!

    And so, you are broken but loved.  You are sinful, but redeemed.  You are cursed but forgiven.  You are shamed, but accepted.  You cannot be too haughty because you know you are broken.  But you cannot be too depressed because you are bought with great price.  The pendulum comes dead center–all because of the Gospel.

    For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but so that the world may be saved through Him.

    At your baptism, God redeemed your brokenness.  God made you an accepted failure.  The heavens have been torn open for you not because of what you have done but because of what Jesus did.  And now, you have been made God’s beloved child.  May you be as humbled by this as I am.  Amen.